Yesterday at a meeting of third party developers Oz Linden announced some major policy changes. You can read the announcement yourself at this link[click here].

1. llRequestAgentData() will no longer be allowed to get online status except for the script owner or creator.2. Third party viewers will no longer be allowed to show online status of agents other than the friends list.3. Third party viewers will no longer be allowed to show the viewers that other people are using.4. Third part viewers may no longer implement "shared experiences" that are not compatible with the Linden viewer.

Items 1 to 3 above are privacy-related. Some users will be discouraged, but the new LL seems very serious about privacy protection.

Item 4 generated a lot of discussion at the developers meeting. Third party developers will not be able to create new ways of viewing virtual worlds. In the past, third party viewers were the first to implement such things as region windlight settings, "breast physics", etc. Although this policy change may seem to be an assault on third party developers' creativity, Oz Linden suggested that the new management team at LL would work with developers to implement new shared experiences (like mesh) much faster than the previous Linden team.

BTW, Inworldz was the only grid other than SL to be mentioned in the meeting. One developer said defensively that "other grids such as Inworldz" would welcome their efforts [more than Linden Labs], while another developer suggested that those "other grids" were not very good.

annaDee

Post subject: Re: LL policy changes and how they affect Inworldz

Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 7:04 pm

Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2011 12:06 pmPosts: 140Location: Houston

Oh I forgot to say how it affects Inworldz!

The third party viewers, such as Imprudence, Phoenix, etc., will have to remove those features to stay on the LL approved third party viewers list. It will be up to the developers to decide if they want to have some features available in some worlds and not in others.

I personally am interested in how long it will take before Inworldz and SL are not compatible with one another.

Anna

edited a typo

Last edited by annaDee on Sun Feb 26, 2012 1:08 am, edited 1 time in total.

Minethere Always

Post subject: Re: LL policy changes and how they affect Inworldz

Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 7:40 pm

Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2011 6:00 amPosts: 558Location: Texas

heh....well....no reason why we can't be different is there? and better, thru innovation of TPVs....

tho i suppose there would be a growing problem as the masses leave sl and find it ever more difficult in understanding [what i would like to see[not their difficulty]] a more advanced game.

BTW, Inworldz was the only grid other than SL to be mentioned in the meeting. One developer said defensively that "other grids such as Inworldz" would welcome their efforts [more than Linden Labs], while another developer suggested that those "other grids" were not very good.

That dev was Jessica from the Phoenix Team (the bold is mine to highlight which dev is Jessica)

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Legion Hienrichs

Post subject: Re: LL policy changes and how they affect Inworldz

Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 9:26 pm

Joined: Wed Feb 25, 2009 2:03 pmPosts: 2852

Actually.. we would love to work with the TPV developers.. They come up with some great stuff. Have improved the viewers a lot for Second Life, added things that LL couldn't or wouldn't. It's the one area where we don't have the resources to spend. If they want to talk, by all means we're willing to do so.

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Honey Chicken

Post subject: Re: LL policy changes and how they affect Inworldz

Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 11:08 pm

Joined: Thu May 20, 2010 7:13 pmPosts: 1500

One of the constant "issues" discussed on forums etc is Inworldz not being "hypergrid" capable.

Now, if LL is only going to allow its ll based viewers into sl, is that a sign that the hypergid ..if it evloves, would be " LL-Hypergrid only, and the rest of the virtual worlds being walled-off and ingnored?

Also, if tpv's like phoenix and imprudence are locked out of SL, or forced to be LL only compliant, how will that affect creators bringing their stuff from LL world to here if they chose to move?

Will tpv developers have to make 2 viewers.. one for sl and another for other grids? Will they bother with a sl one if this is so, and concentrate on remaining compatible with all the other worlds ? (theres only one SL, but many other grids..)

By opening up Inworldz to all ( non copybot) tpv's , well that can only help Inworldz... and encourage tpv developers to add things that in the future will improve our virtual experience. ( like better bouncing boobies... and maybe bouncing ... )

Will sl be left in the era of gaslight, while other grids and Inworldz power on into the electric age and beyond?

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Caine Carver

Post subject: Re: LL policy changes and how they affect Inworldz

Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 12:01 am

Joined: Thu May 19, 2011 1:13 amPosts: 230Location: U.S.A.

Honey Chicken wrote:

Will they bother with a sl one if this is so, and concentrate on remaining compatible with all the other worlds ? (theres only one SL, but many other grids..)

That becomes my major concern...will teams like phoenix and imprudence put all their eggs in one basket and if so will SL be the basket based on user base? All the popular other grids combined still dont equal then in user base...

hope the opt for freedom of creativity over market share...

To me this just looks like another LL attempt to corner the market...if you dont think they would do that just look at the lengths they went to in gobbling up xl market.

1. llRequestAgentData() will no longer be allowed to get online status except for the script owner or creator.

Now this was a ridiculous change because the server code that acquires this data also can pick up the "[x] only my friends can see me online" preferences option, and then using that setting determine whether online status should be blocked.

But, on TPVs, I think the nonSL grids will be departing in compatibility. Imagine what will happen when the 30 joint animation gets enhanced to 100 joint animations, or when physX bounce, springs, and tear-off features get implemented here and, obviously, not there. We are at a juncture where the grids' life paths will evolve in their own separate ways. I expect TPVs will have to make some interesting decisions especially if they do not have the staff to do multiple different protocol grids.

But, on TPVs, I think the nonSL grids will be departing in compatibility. Imagine what will happen when the 30 joint animation gets enhanced to 100 joint animations, or when physX bounce, springs, and tear-off features get implemented here and, obviously, not there. We are at a juncture where the grids' life paths will evolve in their own separate ways. I expect TPVs will have to make some interesting decisions especially if they do not have the staff to do multiple different protocol grids.

The more restrictions LL applied to third-party viewers (TPVs), the more those paths will diverge. LL will be limiting the innovation in SL viewers, while the other grids will welcome it. It may reach a point, sooner than I was expecting, where InWorldz needs to break compatibility with SL in order to move forward. There are so many things we want to do but can't, because we cannot get changes made to both sides. And so many other cases where something should be fairly simple to do, that isn't, because the existing LL communications protocol is inadequate.

This is another flawed policy from LL. They may be trying to do the right thing, but ultimately it will hurt SL residents, and SL as a whole. At least that's my 2 cents worth.

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